A Chosen Few
by PhoenixLyric
Summary: AU- A girl from a destroyed village. A boy from a big city. They have nothing in common except the fact that they've been chosen by two of the most powerful Legendaries to prevent Sinnoh's corrupt government from imploding and causing massive damage to the entire Pokémon world. The problem? They're complete and total opposites... I don't own Pokémon. T for safety. Hiatus, for now.
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

I sink to my knees. How did I come this far, only to lose everything I've gained? How did I come this far, only to send the last shot at saving _his _life into the abyss?

I take a deep breath. Josh, I hope you can forgive me. It turns out that the chosen ones of Lugia and Ho-Oh were not meant to be together at all. Not as friends, or more than that. We're not even meant to even be alive together.

Even with the power of the legendaries at my side, I couldn't succeed. I've failed them. I've failed my friends. My family. The world.

Myself.

But even though I lost this battle, I've won many others. That will be what I shall think about as I prepare to die at the hands of the man that I despise through the deepest parts of my soul.

My aura will be forcibly taken from me. I will be dead in a matter of minutes. My Pokémon will learn to live on without me, adapt to their new circumstances and possibly their new trainers. My eyes tear up as I think of my beloved team separating forever.

This is the end of everything I know and love. I can hear orders being shouted in the background, through the door that I could've escaped through if I had just a few more precious seconds.

But I've learned that time tends to run out in the most peculiar of places.

So I take another deep breath and close my eyes, waiting for the pain that is to come...

* * *

**(A/N): Hello! PhoenixLyric here! This is just a preview- I'll continue it whenever I get the chance to. First fanfic, whoop! Anyways, Chapter One is coming very soon, so keep an eye out for it! I've got a lot planned, so read, review, and I'll see you around! **

**-Phee :)**


	2. Chapter One: Paradox

**(A/N) THANK YOU to the reviewers for the prologue! You guys are awesome! **

** Pure Gamer: I do have a tendency to overuse commas. Thanks for pointing that out, and I'll try to be a bit more adamant about it in the coming chapters.**

** Alphinia: Thanks! That was the first review that I've ever received. The fact that it was so positive made me start grinning! :)**

**Now, on with chapter one! **

**~Phee **

* * *

My name is Clary Stevens. Today is indescribable, to say the least.  
I turn thirteen today. I can finally obtain my Trainer's license and become a Pokémon trainer, which is something that I've wanted to do ever since I can remember. The only thing that matters now is which starter I will choose.

Chimchar. Piplup. Turtwig.

Three powerful Pokémon. Three powerful final evolutions. One choice. One shot. One chance to get this right.

I walk into the lab and the regional professor greets me. Professor Rowan's dark eyes analyze me critically after I introduce myself. I peek around the corner and see three Pokéballs and a green Pokédex waiting for me on a wooden table. Now that I mention it, this building isn't like the scientific labs that I've seen on the one television in my house. It looks a bit more like a log cabin decorated with a few sparse research instruments and tools, some of which I've seen in primary school.

It looks… neglected, almost. I remember walking back through the small town. The buildings were small and their paint was chipped. The people that I could see looked haggard and worn, like they worked extremely hard for the little money that is poured into their hands…

Professor Rowan notes the look of blatant curiosity on my face and takes a guess at I'm thinking about.

"Yes, the lab is different. Certain cities are, ah… _favored_ above others once you get out into the world. You'll learn about that soon enough. Unfortunately, Sandgem is not one of the towns that the Council and the Five favor. _Never _come through here during winter. Now, your starter?"

I have to draw on my command of the English language to keep from resorting to a sarcastic response. I suppress a shudder as I think of the Council. The twelve most powerful people in Sinnoh rule with an iron fist. Dad taught me to fear them and to avoid them. The head of the Council is not afraid to injure or kill anyone that's in his way. The other six are cronies, selected by him to help execute his bidding. The other five consist of the Elite Four and the Champion.

I've heard differently about the last five, though. Cynthia was crowned as the Champion about two years ago, and she seems to have good intentions. The only problem with that is she can never get her ideas past the Head.

No one can. If they try, they're never heard from again.

I emerge from my thoughts and take a look at the table. Three Pokéballs release automatically, revealing a small orange-brown monkey with a flame for a tail, a petite blue penguin, and a tiny green turtle with a sprout coming out of its shell.

I introduce myself to them and after chatting with the three for a little bit, my choice has become clear. I share the best connection with Piplup, who loves battling every bit as much as I do. I take her Pokéball, place it on my belt, and obtain my Pokédex. I shake Professor Rowan's hand as I walk out the door of his lab.

"Clary, there's something you need to know before you leave," he announces, stopping in front of the door. He furrows his bushy eyebrows and eyes me critically.

"Not only are certain cities favored above others, but the people from those cities are liked more. As a trainer from Aria Village, you have a long, hard road ahead of you if you want to qualify for the Sinnoh League."

He doesn't know that I've left behind a deserted town. It's only my dad and my younger brother left there after _the incident_ that happened as I left. Debris from the firebombs probably still litter the streets…

"Also, as a new trainer, you are required to meet the head of the Council and be interviewed for a column in the newspapers."

My jaw drops. My face _cannot_ be seen in the media. If it is, then my family will be in terrible danger. I look just like my father, who was the leader of a rebel organization that attempted to bring down the Council a few years ago. The same Council that firebombed my town just a few short days ago, the same Council that destroyed my father's ability to walk, the same Council that murdered my mother in claims of 'self defense'.

They want to meet with me and congratulate my coming of age.

Well that's awkward, to say the least.

I swallow once and nod. "I can understand why they want to do that." It's a vague answer, but clear enough to avoid suspicion for now.

"Your time is a week from now in Jubilife City, at six thirty in the evening. I look forward to reading the paper the next day," he replies. "And if you take one thing away from our meeting, remember this."

He leans in close and I do too.  
"Do not trust everyone in this world. People will lie and take advantage of new trainers, seeing that their hearts are as malleable as cardboard. I can see that you are different, Clary. Don't let them change you."

I nod once as I walk out the door and head away from the enigmatic professor. _He gave me a paradox to ponder, _I think as I head towards Jubilife. _If I can't trust anyone, I can't trust him. The only beings I can trust with anything other than twisted lies are my Pokémon. And I will stay true to my team. _

I'm brought out of my thoughts by a boy a little older than me standing on the road, also heading to Jubilife.

"Hey, babe," he whistles, his head tilted to the side. "How 'bout a battle and a movie?"

I grit my teeth. "I'll take the battle, but no movie."

"Why not?" he asks, evidently shocked at the fact that a girl would reject him.

"I'm just not interested," I reply.

"Come on!" he announces. "No girl can resist the attractiveness of moi, Michael!"

I groan. "I seem to have overestimated the number of your brain cells."

He growls. "Are you being smart with me?"

I shrug. "Would you prefer for me to act stupid?"

His face turns redder than a Groudon's back, and he sends out his only Pokémon, a Beedrill.

"Piplup! Show him what you're made of!" I yell, and she emerges, already in a fighting stance.

"Use Peck!" I order, and she does so by jumping into the air and drilling downwards, hitting the opposing bug Pokémon directly on top of its encased head. Beedrill used String Shot in retaliation, but Piplup dodged gracefully and used Bide without my command, a move that she must have just learned. It's not normal for starters to know that move.

Then again, I'm not exactly a _normal_ trainer.

The Beedrill faints from exhaustion and the sheer power that Piplup showed. The other boy attempts to shake my hand, but I pull back. He pouts in a manner that he must think is attractive, and I walk off without a second thought, my curly red hair following behind me.

I hope I can forget who that kid was. I normally never forget a face, but in his case, I'll be happy to make a large exception.

I decide to keep Piplup out of her Pokéball as we tread lightly down the road, and she looks happy to be walking along side me. She catches my electric blue eyes and chatters excitedly, which makes me smile and laugh. An epiphany hits me as I walk down the dirt path.

I just won my first battle. It wasn't much, but it spoke volumes. So many more battles like this will come my way. It's a strange thought, knowing that the event itself went by in a flash, but the memory itself will stay with me until I pass on from this life.

_I'm determined to win more than my first,_ I think as I watch the sun go down through the trees, sending brilliantly colored beams of light through the leaves and branches. The path is spotted with shades of green and gold. I reach a clearing in the forest, and a cliff appears from nowhere. The sunset sends beams of gold, orange, and red arcing across the sky, coloring everything a bit more majestically. I think of something that makes me grin as I watch the last bit of sun disappear off the horizon.

My journey has officially begun.

And there's no stopping the fire that has been kindled inside of me.


	3. Chapter Two: Found

_**Hey everyone! Chapter Two is up after a lot of brainstorming, deleting, and editing! I had a giant fundraiser today and I'm still exhausted. Thanks to the reviewers for Chapter One- it's nice to know that my writing is appreciated, even though I'm a newbie here.**_

_**Alphinia: I completely agree with you. Grammar should be everyone's best friend.**_

_**Pure Gamer: This world is a little darker than most of the things I've written about before, so cheers to pushing my limits!**_

_**PokeFan: Thanks! :) More characters will be introduced soon! **_

_**Enjoy, read, and review! ~Phee**_

* * *

I decide to set up camp as soon as I reach a lower elevation on the path. After about thirty minutes of hiking down a cliff in waning twilight, I find a spot in the trees that seems to be big enough for a single sleeping bag. I set my things down and Piplup helps me gather tinder to make a campfire. She drags back a few logs, looking extremely proud of herself seeing that they weigh more than she does. We stack them and I find two rocks to strike together. Eventually, a spark flickers into existence, and the fire blazes to life. I pull out the granola bars that Dad and my little brother Charlie packed for me yesterday and pour out a little food for Piplup, who devours it happily.

I can still feel their embraces as they hugged me goodbye. Dad was ok with me leaving, but Charlie is still too little to understand the purpose behind a journey such as this. Tears filled his little blue eyes as I left, the only thing we inherited from our mother, who was murdered two years after Charlie was born.

* * *

"_Cwary," Charlie asked, "Why awre yous leaving?" I smiled when he said that. He still hasn't lost that toddler lisp yet. _

_I get down to his level. "I'm going on a trip, Charlie. I'll come back once I get stronger than I am now. I'll have lots of new friends with me that you'll get to meet and play with when I get back, alright?"_

_My four-year old brother nodded at that, but still looked sad. "Okie, Cwary. I understands. But pwomise me yous will come back?"_

_I hug him tight, and he returns the action. He smells like mud. He must've been out playing this morning before I got up. _

_I hook his pinky in mine. "I promise."_

_I grinned as I closed the door behind me. Charlie inherited Mom's optimism, that's for sure. The sky darkened all of a sudden, and_ it _happened right after I walked out the front door. I heard the drone of helicopters over my village and saw devices on the bottom of the flying machines moving. _

_They were bombs._

_I put more effort into running then than I ever did into gym class in primary school. I flee from the town into the forest, and duck into a hollow made by some wild Pokémon as I hear the blasts begin. I know that Charlie and Dad will be safe. Dad made sure that the basement could double as a bomb shelter when he built the house. That was when Mom was still alive, and Charlie was a tiny little one that still grabbed anything that was put near him. _

_My gut told me that that the bombers were looking for yours truly. I breathed deep and made myself smaller, hoping that they don't search the forest..._

* * *

I'm shaken out of my memories by Piplup, who is poking my arm with the end of her light blue right front flipper.

I look at her. "You need a nickname, little one. Any ideas?"

Her pride must have inflated to epic proportions, because she jabbers at me after I call her 'little one'. She sighs and shrugs.

"Ok, now I know why your species has the Pokédex entry it does," I reply, putting my hands up in surrender.

"Pip-pip lup pip!" she answers, obviously frustrated. She gives me a glare.

"Sorry," I shrug. "My sarcasm switch tends to get stuck in the on position. Quite often."

I lean back on top of my sleeping bag and look up at the stars. She sits on my stomach and mimics the motion.

"What about Nami? It means 'wave' in another language."

She gives me a look that clearly expresses distaste.

"Ok… what about… Marea?"

She looks a little more interested. I'm making progress!

"Kaia?"

Kaia nods happily, and soon she has fallen asleep on my stomach. I decide that she has the right idea, and I set her down beside my sleeping bag and roll over onto my belly into the sweet release of my dreams…

I have a strange dream that night. I'm seeing everything in shades of blue, and a figure that looks somewhat like a Riolu is standing before me. It is motioning to something, but I can't see it. A Mightyena shoots out of the forest and attacks me before I can defend myself…

I wake up with a scream, which startles Kaia into using BubbleBeam. I apologize profusely and she just nods and hugs my leg after I finish packing everything up. I tell her about the dream as we walk down the path.

"It just seemed… familiar, the way I saw things. I've never seen the world completely in blue before, and I've never read about it. Should I be concerned?"

Kaia waddles down the trail for a little bit, and then tenses visibly.

"Kaia? What's wrong?" I ask. She takes off full speed down the road, and I have no choice but to follow her. She veers off down a patch of trodden-on grass, and I nearly trip over her when she stops suddenly.

A Riolu is lying facedown in a field. No other Pokémon are in the surrounding area, which is strange. A little too strange. I prepare to act in case the little one's assailant comes back to finish her. Kaia fishes my Pokédex out of my bag and gives it to me. I scan the injured Pokémon and wait for the results.

**"Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. This Pokémon is extremely rare because of its ability to control the flow of aura through its body. They are most often found to be companions to Aura Guardians or other assorted aura users. No further information is known at this point."**

I bite the inside of my mouth accidentally when I hear the blip about the Aura Guardians. A symbol appears on the Pokédex's screen, and I gasp.

That symbol- I've seen it before.

I have a birthmark shaped exactly like it on the back of my left shoulder. Mother of Arceus, why didn't I know about this before? Why didn't Dad ever tell me?

Then I remember what he told me when I was _little._ And I mean _little_, as in maybe three years old.

* * *

"_Clary, I want you to know something. You are special, kiddo. And I mean special. You need to be careful. There will be strangers out in the world, and they will want to make you do things you don't want to. Never let them, because who you are is unique."_

"_Daddy, what does 'un… un… uni…'…" I stutter. "That word mean?"_

"_It means you're different," he replies, wrapping me in a hug and bouncing me on his knee. "And different is very, very good."_

* * *

I sigh. I always believed that Dad was talking about who I would be when I grew up and what I would look like. At the time, I thought he was giving the standard speech meant to keep kids from accepting candy from strangers and stuff like that. I mean, you don't see too many people with red hair and blue eyes around Sinnoh, but it's not exactly uncommon.

I guess he wasn't expecting the Council to firebomb the town when I became old enough to pose somewhat of a threat to them.

I hear rustling in front of the three of us, and I stand quickly. A pack of wild Pokémon stands before Kaia, the Riolu, and I, and the pack is comprised of Mightyena, Murkrow, and other assorted dark-types.

I can think of one thing, and one thing only as we take off running down the path in hopes of finding shelter.

_Why does fate hate me so?_


	4. Chapter Three: Directions

**_(A/N): Hello there! Welcome to Chapter Four/Three of ACF! I appreciate all the views and reviews that I've received! You guys rock! _**

**_Alphinia: I edited Chapter Three/Two to make it a lot more clear. I hope that makes it better. No need to worry, (pun intended), I have almost full plans for Clary's eventual team. There'll be some wild cards in there, that's for sure!_**

**_On with the story! :) ~Phee_**

* * *

I hear the yowls and other assorted noises of the pack behind us as we run for our lives down the trail. Kaia pauses to shoot a few BubbleBeams down the path, but has no luck. The members snarl and attempt to bite at our ankles.

"Kaia, there's no time! We have to get out of here!" I scream. I see a familiar looking reddish orange roof come into view on the horizon, and a surge of hope shoots through my veins, renewing my energy. Sadly, the pack is gaining on us. I return Kaia to her Pokéball when we can see the town. Piplup as a species isn't meant for running, and I'd like to save her some trouble. As I near the Pokémon Center, I can feel beaks jabbing the air behind me, and I quickly turn my head to find about fifteen Murkrow chasing after me for no reason at all. I yank on the door, and it opens to my relief. The only problem with opening the door was that the force the door returned as it closed knocked me flat on the ground. Nurse Joy runs over and takes the Riolu to ICU while I drag my sorry butt to the nearest chair, which just so happens to be next to a navy-haired boy who is currently engrossed in a thick novel.

I look down at myself for the first time since I started running and notice that I have jab marks all down my arms and shoulders, and that a cut on my face is bleeding slowly. The boy sticks a bookmark on the page of his book, closes it, and looks me in the eyes.

"Excuse me, do you have a gauze pad I could borrow?" I ask politely.

His grey eyes scrutinize me from behind half-rimmed glasses, and he doesn't reply.

"Uh, hello? Injured and bleeding girl here," I reply.

He sighs. "Fine. Wait a bit." He gets up, grabs a pack of gauze from behind the front desk, and starts cleaning my arm.

"You don't have to do that! I can clean my own cuts!" I say, and try to pull the gauze from him. He pulls out another gauze pad and I hold it to the cut on my face, hoping that the bleeding will stop soon.

"Have you ever heard of a little thing called chivalry?" he asks quietly, digging out a tube of antiseptic medicine from his pack.

_He **so** needs a nickname. _

I blush and nod. He hands the tube to me. "Here. Use this. You don't want any of that to get infected."

_Ok, Depressing-eyes won't work. Pretty sure he's heard four-eyes before, and he won't like that amount of teasing..._

"Thank you," I say, trying to put as much gratitude as possible into my words. He smiles shyly in response. "But I can still do it on my own."

He rolls his eyes. "Of _course_ you can. But I'll be sticking around to make sure you don't almost kill yourself again on the way to wherever you're going."

_Ocean head is a no go, Cerulean Creep won't work either..._

I snort. "Whatever, Blue Brain."

"Excuse me! My name is Josh! Not 'blue brain!'"

_Perfect._

"Then you shouldn't have told me that I'll die before I get to the next route!" I borderline yell.

Nurse Joy seems to have come back, because she puts a hand in between Blue Brain and I. "Kids, please stop arguing." She turns towards me. "Miss, the Riolu you brought in has woken up and appears to be asking for you. Please come with me."

I nod once and follow, Blue Brain right on my heels.

She opens the door, and Riolu is sitting upright, leaning back against a pillow. I smile when I see that she's all right, but my good mood deflates when I see a sling around her arm and band-aids on her ear and legs.

"Miss, you were being pursued by the local flock of Murkrow, correct?"

I nod. "Yes, apparently they thought Riolu here was carrion, and they were waiting for someone else to have for desert."

Blue Brain snickers and points at me. "She's not very sweet, so that plan wouldn't work at all."

Nurse Joy groans. "Do I have to listen to your bickering all day?"

We shut up.

"Anyways, the injuries that Riolu sustained are not consistent with a flock of Murkrow or a gang of Mightyena."

"So Riolu was attacked elsewhere…" I ponder.

"And dumped offside Route One?" finishes Blue Brain. I shoot him a pointed look and he shrugs.

"That seems most likely," replies Nurse Joy. "Since Riolu is a rare Pokémon, my best guess is that Pokémon Hunters are involved here. It's too soon to be certain, but I'd advise that if you have any rare Pokémon with you, be careful."

I nod. "Yes, ma'am. Could I have a moment alone with Riolu, please?"

Blue Brain opens his mouth to protest, but Nurse Joy drags him out the door by the ear and closes it behind her.

I smile. "He's weird."

Riolu gives me a pointed look. _No, you're kidding._

"Hey, Riolu, I'd like to ask you something," I say. She nods once. _Go on._

"Does this symbol look familiar?" I ask, turning around and lifting my hair off my shoulders to show my birthmark. I turn back and her red eyes are wide. She nods twice, eagerly.

_Yes, that is most familiar, miss._

I yelp and fall over backwards, almost knocking things off the table behind me. I skin the heels of my hands as I hit the floor. "You can talk?"

_Yes, miss, I can. But only to those who are open to the truths of life. Your blue-haired acquaintance and the pink-haired healer outside cannot hear me. Not all people of aura can do this, either, miss. _

"He is **_not _**an acquaintance," I retort. The jackal like Pokémon just keeps eye contact with me without a reaction. "How did you find me?"

_I am your protector. Every person of aura has one, although not many have a member of my evolutionary line, miss._

I stomp my foot after I get back up to my feet. "My name is not 'miss'! My name is Clary!"

_I apologize, Miss Clary. Formality is an ingrained behavior in my species. _

Great. Today I've met a Riolu who thinks she's from the fifteenth century, and a smart-aleck blue haired kid who thinks he can tell me what to do. Could this day get any weirder?

_Alas, I have been hunted all the way here, and I seek membership of your fledgling team along with protection and guidance. May I join the list of your acquaintances, Miss Clary?_

Strange, I never thought Pokémon would just waltz up and ask to join the team. Apparently, my day _can_ get stranger.

"Alright, then, but you need a new nickname. Do you like the name Garnete?"

She nods. _I would prefer that term much more than I would my current species name. I accept your 'nickname', whatever that may be._

I smack my forehead and throw a Pokéball. Three shakes later, Garnete is captured and has been officially added to the team. I walk out the door and find Blue Brain and Nurse Joy waiting for me.

"Where's the Riolu?" he asks. I hold up the Pokéball and his jaw falls open.

"You caught it? That's a horrible risk! They're so rare, you'll be a magnet for the hunters that targeted it originally! You could die, and never be heard from again!"

Nurse Joy nods. "Yes, Josh here is correct, Clary. You're putting yourself and your team at terrible risk! Can't you be sensible about this?"

Blue Brain rolls his eyes. "She's a redhead with a temper. Of course she can't be sensible."

"Yeah, and you're a bluebird who doesn't know when to shut up," I retort, and his face turns redder than my hair.

"Children! Will you please stop this incessant bickering?"

"Yes ma'am," we reply in sync. I shoot him a look and he puts his hands up.

"In the end, it is miss Clary's journey and her decision. I wish the both of you luck in your endeavors. Now get out, you're bothering the others!"

Nurse Joy hands me a box of band-aids as she shoos us out the door. Blue Brain and I shrug and walk down the path.

"Why, exactly, are you following me?" I ask, whirling around to face Blue Brain.

"You're heading to Jubilife, correct?" he responds. I nod uncertainly.

"You're going the wrong way."


	5. Chapter Four: All That Glitters

_**(A/N): Hi everyone! I'm back! I'm sorry I couldn't update yesterday- band camp has arrived, and I was asleep by the time I would've normally updated. Anyways, I've been blown away by the amount of reviews that I've received! Thanks so much for reading!**_

_**Alphinia: Yes, Josh is the boy in the summary. I won't say more, that'll render the plot line useless! :P**_

_**Akeyarenu: You gave me A LOT to think about. Thanks for the incredibly helpful review, and I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter.**_

_**japaneserockergirl: Thanks! **_

_**Pure Gamer: Thanks for saying that my work is awesome, but it's not nearly as good as yours is!**_

_**Oh, I almost forgot! I put a poll up on my profile page! If you want a say in which Pokémon are added to Clary's team, vote! **_

_**On with Chapter Four/Five! ~Phee**_

* * *

I'm trying hard not to let figurative smoke come out my ears as Blue Brain walks along beside me. I have to elongate my gait to stay even with his pace.

"I appreciate you pointing me in the right direction," I say, "but is stalking me all the way to Jubilife really all that necessary?"

He puts a hand on each of my shoulders, and I blush in response.

"Argh! I am not stalking you!" He sighs. "Clary. Have you ever been in a city the size of this one?" he asks, navy bangs flying into his eyes. I shake my head.

"There are people here who can and will take advantage of newer trainers like yourself. You'll get lost on the streets in seconds, and be critically injured or worse before morning comes. Jubilife may be considered a safe city, but the government vastly overlooks the crime rates that happen at night to normal folks like us. Rich people," he snorts.

I furrow my brows. Most people wouldn't admit openly that they disliked the people who control our world, but I guess Blue Brain here is a bit more risky than I thought he was.

"Also, you have to go in for your interview," he says. "There's no way around that, but I do have some advice for you." The light that shone in his eyes when he was arguing with me back in the Center is gone, replaced by a coldness that startles me.

I'm afraid to say something back, so I nod.

"Don't give them anything personal about your family, your home life, your Pokémon team, anything of the sorts. Do you understand me?"

I nod again, my eyes wide.

"Good," he snorts. "Just be careful, Fireball. People are not who they seem to be."

I shoot him a glare when he uses a nickname, but then stop. Blue Brain used the exact words that Professor Rowan told me when I left the lab. I wonder if Blue Brain knows him?

We finish our ascension, and when we reach the peak of the hill, I can see the sprawl of Jubilife below me. I sigh and grin. I never knew that buildings could be built so high, or so many of them could be built so close together…

"Come on, Fireball, I'll show you to where I stay when I come here," replies Blue Brain. He walks me to the entry gate for the city, and when we step inside, my jaw falls open.

Inside the small building, there are ornate rugs, multiple kinds of lavish furniture, and I swear that one of the tables is made out of solid gold. Then I look up and see the people. Apparently blue and green are the '_it_' colors this season, because about two thirds of the people milling around inside have hair this color, and it doesn't look natural, like Blue Brain's. The clothes are outlandish, to say the least. The women I see have been poured into overly puffy skirts and skintight blouses in assorted pastel colors that either complement or match their hair color. The men are wearing suits, although not like the ones that I've seen around Aria Village. These are flamboyant, the material curved, warped, and cut in places that I never could've come up with. Blue Brain guides me to a desk where a lady with a cotton candy blue hairdo motions for me to come to her. I take uncertain steps, and Blue Brain pushes me towards her desk, which is made of oak wood and is finely carved.

"Hello. May I help you?" she asks. I have to concentrate hard to make out the words under her extraordinarily heavy accent. Silence fills the room, and I think that everyone is staring at us. Maybe it's because my hair color is a fashion no-no here…

"Yes," replies Blue Brain. "The two of us require entry to the city commons."

What happened to the Blue Brain that I know? It's almost like he was born here, and the person I know is just a mask…

"Well-a-well, I'll have to see your identifications," she snips back. I take a deep breath and hand over my Pokédex. She inspects it and nods. Josh hands over something similar to a credit card, and the lady nods immediately after seeing his name.

"Welcome back, Mr. Meridian. And Miss Stevens… welcome. I hope your stay here is… pleasant."

Two doors open, and we walk through them to find that we're right in the heart of the tallest buildings in the Sinnoh region. The way that lady said 'pleasant'… she sounded like a pack of wolves waiting for me to falter. I turn around and watch the doors close. They glint gold in the light. Out of curiosity, I walk up to the edge and knock on them. The sound resounds through and bounces back.

Hm. All that glitters is not pure gold.

Josh takes my hand and pulls me through the city, and I gawk, speechless, at the sheer amount of people, Pokémon, and automobiles that I see.

"No time for rubber-necking now, lunch hour is almost over. Traffic will be insane until about three o'clock this afternoon. We'll be at our destination before rush hour begins."

"How do you know where we're going?" I ask. I'm not happy about being dragged through unfamiliar territory with a kid I hardly know, but he knows what he's doing. Blue Brain doesn't respond, and I huff in frustration.

It seems a little too early to say this, but I trust him.

We make a right turn, a left, and another right before we stop in front of a building labeled as a law firm. He pulls me in, and we walk relatively unnoticed. In fact, I think the entire building is deserted. Blue Brain swipes the card that he showed the lady earlier through the elevator doors and the steel opens to reveal not an elevator, but a hidden Pokémon center.

"Fireball," he says. "Welcome to your temporary home."

"Why not the actual Pokémon center?" I ask.

"That one is for all the rich kids," snorts another boy. I whip around to find an older teenage boy with jade green hair and dark brown eyes waiting for us. "Josh, my man, how've ya been? Where were you?"

Blue Brain sighs. "Sorry Aiden, I had some things to take care of in Sandgem. I brought a newbie who's here for an interview." He points at me and I roll my eyes.

"Hello, I'm Clary," I say, sticking my hand out for a handshake seeing that Blue Brain wasn't kind enough to introduce me. Aiden shakes it uneasily, and returns his hand to his side rather quickly.

"Hey, Fireball," whispers Blue Brain, "No one shakes hands here. We kinda bow at the waist, like this," he demonstrates. I tilt my head, and Aiden laughs.

"I take it she's from out of town," laughs Aiden.

"Oh really, you noticed," I deadpan.

"Where?"

"Aria Village," I reply. The confused look on his face verifies my suspicion that no one outside of Twinleaf and Sandgem has ever heard of my hometown. "What's so bad about these 'rich kids' I keep hearing about?"

Both of them pale at the mention of Blue Brain's previous topic. He clears his throat. "Well, you see…" Blue Brain seems reluctant to talk about this.

"Come on, she needs to know. She'll be here for a while."

Blue Brain rolls his eyes. "Fine then."

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," replies Aiden with a deadly glance towards Blue Brain, "The rich kids and the rest of us teenaged trainers are kind of in the midst of a civil war. It wasn't this bad a few months ago, just a few rough-and-tumble Pokémon battles here and there under a streetlight. But things are starting to get serious. Gangs are starting to turn up. And not just gangs that're for show, but _real_ gangs. Some even work for other organizations whose names are taboo. That's why Josh brought you here. If you had gone to the official Pokémon Center, you would've been beaten up, your Pokémon stolen, things like that."

"That's awful!" I say. "Why haven't the authorities done anything about this?"

Blue Brain shakes his head. "Fireball, you're being naive. The law enforcement is powered through the rich kids' parents and their big bucks. We couldn't do anything about it if we tried."

"What can we do?" I ask.

"Walk quickly, make no eye contact, and hope you can make it through the next few days alive," replies Aiden bitterly. I turn and check the room, and see that there's a healing machine for Pokéballs, being manned by a girl- currently snoring- who couldn't be much older than I am. Her chin length black hair covers her eyes.

I walk over to inspect it, and the girl jumps up out of her chair like a Raichu shocked her. "Hey! Only people verified by a member can use this!"

Blue Brain comes after me. "It's alright Alice, she's with me. Well, sorta. Can't stand her, but she's with me."

"Ok, hand'em over," she says, bored. I pass over two Pokéballs to her and she starts up the machine, the humming of the motor drowning out my thoughts. I turn around to find Blue Brain staring at the back of my shoulder. Alice finishes her job, and I'm relieved to have my friends back with me once more. Blue Brain pulls me off into another room, and he closes the door and stares.

"Seriously!" I fume. "What is your _problem_? You act like you care about me, then you're all mysterious and you know everyone here, and now you've gone and dragged me off into a dark room!"

"Just listen, alright!" he hisses as he punches a light switch. "I saw something on your shoulder. You showed it to your Riolu. Show me."

I take a deep breath and lift my hair off my left shoulder. Blue Brain's face goes pale as he sees my birthmark.

"Clary," he says quietly. "That _has_ to stay covered up while you're here. I can't express how important that is. The wrong person sees that birthmark, and you will be dead in hours. Here," he says, pulling out a box of band-aids, "put two of these over it. Say you tripped down a path and scratched up your shoulder when you fell over if anyone asks about it during your interview."

I'm seeing two sides of the boy in the room with me. One, the Blue Brain that I know, is compassionate. Caring. Not afraid to argue pointlessly. The other side is the Josh Meridian that is cold, unapproachable, and mysterious.

Who is he really? Then again, Dad said that you can just as easily lose yourself on your journey as you can find yourself.

Which will I choose?


	6. Chapter Five: Unnatural

_**(A/N): Hello everyone! I'm sorry I couldn't update sooner, my life has been dominated by band camp! GO CLARINETS! Anyways, I'm back with Chapter Five! Special thanks to all the reviewers!**_

_**Pure Gamer: Good, I'm glad you enjoyed it! **_

_**japaneserockergirl: Hehe, I have plans for Blue Brain. And thanks for following!**_

_**Akeyaranu: Yes, the answer to why Clary survived this long without the birthmark being noticed is hidden in the chapter somewhere. Hope that clears things up.**_

_**supersexyghotmew: Um, I think you mistook my rhetorical question at the end of the last chapter for a real one. **_

_**Oh! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE vote on the poll on my profile page! I'm letting you guys pick the next Pokémon that Clary captures! Now read, review, and enjoy!**_

* * *

I wake up in my bed in the makeshift Pokémon Center. It's hard to believe that it's been a full week since I left on my journey.

And Blue Brain is still as obstinate as ever. He has shown me around the city for three days straight, pointing out various landmarks and tall buildings. He took me to a lovely café for lunch the other day- an action that still confuses me.

I sit up with a gasp when I remember. Dang. My interview is today. I'm completely unprepared for what could possibly happen today. My world could go down in flames. Or it could be elevated to perfection. I can't challenge my first gym until I complete this. Oh dear Arceus, why me?

I groan and roll over, only to crash to the floor with a thud. I untangle myself from the sheets and get dressed; making sure that the two band-aids completely cover the mark on my shoulder. I make sure that my jeans are spotless, my combat boots are somewhat scuff-free, and double check my shirt for stains. I'm clear. My hair, on the other hand, is a complete disaster. I stick it in a simple French braid for now. I'll fix it up later.

The door opens, and I find a breakfast taco wrapped in foil with my name written on it. I unwrap the foil, and find a tortilla encasing scrambled eggs and cheese. I devour it quickly and then run back to brush my teeth. I find Blue Brain and Aiden waiting for me outside the elevator doors.

"Ready for your interview?" Aiden asks. I shrug.

Blue Brain rolls his eyes. "Just remember the advice I gave you, Fireball. You'll be going to the TV station for your interview. It's on the other side of the city, in rich kid territory. Hang onto your Pokémon, you may need to use them. It'll take a while to get there. Let's go."

I follow the two boys down the hallway and out into the light. Aiden taps five bricks on the side of a building and a chute opens beneath his feet, sending him down underground. Blue Brain motions for me to go after him, and I nod, jumping down into the blackness.

I land on a pile of cushions, and Aiden pulls me out from the pile as Blue Brain lands on his back.

"Where are we?" I ask.

"Clary," announces Aiden. "Welcome to the Underground. This is the safer way to get to the other side of the city. It takes longer, so prepare to walk a lot."

I crane my neck around as I observe where we are. People seem to live down here, and torches and overhead lights turn on as we continue further into the tunnel. Aiden is waving to quite a few, and so is Blue Brain. I see a mother and her small child huddled together under a blanket in an abandoned corner, and my heart breaks.

Stupid rich people. Stupid Council. Stupid government.

I bite the inside of my cheek and keep a hand steady on top of Piplup's Pokéball. Blue Brain notices my actions and smiles.

"Good, you're losing some of that small town naivety already."

I puff out my cheeks and he laughs, turning away.

We walk in silence for a very long time, and it leaves me time to ponder. This city is unlike anything I've ever seen before. The sights are beautiful, the views are spectacular… but everything else is strange. The people are artificially made up, the few Pokémon I've seen have been re-colored like a child using a coloring book, and the condition of the buildings on the other side of the tracks are deplorable.

All is not golden in this 'golden city'.

I note that we seem to be ascending upwards, and Aiden shoves open a manhole cover. We're in an alley behind the studio, which is easily the largest building I've seen since I've been here. The front has all sorts of neon and fluorescent lights covering it, spelling out 'The Jubilife Network'. Aiden and Blue Brain come up on either side of me like sentries.

"Ready?"

I gulp and nod. If I work fast, this should be quick and painless.

We enter the building, and the lobby comes into view. Aiden seems to hang back, leaving Blue Brain to guide me through everything.

_Holy mother of Arceus, this room is big_. Embroidered couches are strategically placed everywhere you look, and a long table is placed at the end of one wall, where numerous people are chatting with employees with too-purple looking hair. I assume that purple, black, and white are the colors of the production company, because I see them in the fabrics, the uniforms, the walls, the curtains…

Blue Brain drags me up to a desk and confirms my appointment. When I look closer, I see that it says 'live interview' rather than 'column interview'.

"Excuse me, miss, but I'm supposed to have a newspaper interview, not one for the news," I say quietly.

"Well, you're scheduled for a live feed," snaps the lady. I swear that her purple afro seems to be frizzing up more as she speaks. "I don't have the authority to reschedule you, and we're booked until next January. Tough luck, missy."

I turn towards Blue Brain and shrug. I nod. "That's fine, ma'am, I'll deal with it. Thank you for your time."

She gives me an odd look, like she's never experienced gratitude before.

"You'll be prepared in room number seventeen, and your time has been changed from six thirty to five o'clock. Follow me."

I shoot Blue Brain a glance and he shrugs.

That lady said 'prepared' like I was a platter of meat.

_What should I be expecting?_

The lady opens a door emblazoned with a giant '17' on it and I see a rack of clothes and two people sitting inside. They have to be twins, because they look exactly alike, right down to their hairstyle and eye color. Blue Brain stands outside the door, smirking. Then again, his smirk could be faked.

"These are your designers and make-up specialists. I'll come back for you in an hour or two. Make her more presentable, you two, she's practically ugly at the moment."

Arceus, these rich people don't understand the concept of natural.

The door slams and it's all I can do not to scream at it. I stomp my foot instead, and spin around to face the city citizens.

"Miss, we are Keziah and Kairos. Welcome to Jubilife Network. We'll be making you over today. Do you have any restrictions for us?"

I hold in a sigh. Relief. I can still be myself. "Yes, actually. No skirts that ride above my fingertips, I have to be covered up top, and you can't do anything to my hair or eyes that requires dye or colored contacts. That is all, thank you."

Keziah tilts her head. "What strange requirements. We will do our best."

If what I asked for is strange, then what is considered normal?

They guide me to a chair and scrub away at my hair and face until they start to sting. They ask millions of questions, and I can't understand most of them because of those ridiculously thick accents.

Is anything real here?

The hours drag, and then they put a mirror in front of my face. I look so... different. They've done something to my hair to take the curls out, and it lies straight across my back. It's longer, now that it's straight. It goes all the way down to the small of my back instead of hitting the middle of my spine.

My freckles have vanished under a coat of white powder, and there's black goopy stuff on my eyelashes and lining my eyes. I have no clue what it's called, but I guess I don't mind it much.

They wheel out the clothes rack, and my jaw hits the floor.

Some of the _things_ on this rack can't even be considered clothes. Too much fabric is missing.

"Oh, no," I say. "I am not wearing anything on this rack. I refuse."

Kairos shrugs. "At least let us add to what you're wearing now."

I nod cautiously, and they pull out a yellow fitted t-shirt with the shoulders cut out and a white sleeveless puffy vest. I go behind the partition in the room and change quickly, making certain that the band-aids don't show. I walk back out and spin around, and they nod their approval.

"Good. You are ready, miss."

It seems that even under the artificial front of these people, there are still hearts underneath, unlike my escort. I am many things, but I am not ugly.

"Thank you," I say. Again, I receive strange looks. Apparently, gratitude is not to be found here.

We have good timing, because the escort comes back and eyes me.

"She'll do. Follow me."

I notice that Blue Brain is standing with her, and his eyes are wide.

"Uh, Blue Brain? You're staring," I say, blowing a strand of hair out of my face.

He turns away, red tinting his cheeks. "No. There was an interesting painting behind you."

There is no painting. I smile.

She guides us up a few flights of stairs, and I trip over the last one. I catch myself, my palms stinging. The escort humphs and opens a door, which leads to a room filled with cameras, microphones, and two chairs.

"Hey, Fireball," whispers Blue Brain. "Are you always this clumsy, or are you making a special effort today?"

"Shut up," I reply.

I look closer at the end of the room, and see that a man with forest green hair and eyes escorting a girl a little older than I am to the hot seat. A man carrying a wooden board painted with black and white stripes claps it together and says "action!".

They begin the interview, and I get the gist of who this girl is in less than ten seconds.

_Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid, _I conclude as I watch the two interact. She may be pretty, with her dark purple hair and amber eyes, but the combination of her accent and her actions cement my suspicion that she's dumber than a doornail. And that would be a complement.

My escort takes a look at me intently watching the other interview and turns to Blue Brain. "Is she always like this?" she asks. Oh Arceus, she's serious.

"Yeah, she always finds herself lost in thought. It's unfamiliar territory," he responds, and I bite my tongue. An employee walks up and offers us snacks. I take a bag of Pokémon crackers and open them to find the standards- Growlithe, Ponyta, Pikachu, and so on.

The man finishes his conversation with the other girl and the cameras lose their red lights.

"Take five! Next interview afterwards!" announces the man with the clacky-board-thingy.

The other girl gets out of her chair, and I move to go towards it. I see it before it happens. She sticks her foot out to trip me, and I spin out of the way, the edges of my vision tinted blue. She ends up falling flat on her face.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Let me help you!" I say, extending a hand. She ignores it and pulls herself up.

"Listen, punk, I don't need a country bumpkin like you giving me 'help'. This is the _big city_ now. We don't help each other. Its dog eat dog here, and you're next on the menu." She storms out the door in a huff.

I catch Blue Brain's eye and he shrugs. I resume my procession up to the chair, my hands shaking. I sit down and smooth my hair, unused to the silkiness of it.

"Could I have your name, miss?" the man asks. Again, his hair seems to be fake, but I can see no trace of false coverings in his eyes.

"My name is Clary Stevens," I answer.

"Tis a pleasure to meet you, miss Clary. I am Obadiah Kenzelman."

Geez, the names that rich people hand out…

"And we're on in three, two, one! Action!"

Cameras and lights flare to life, and I squint a little.

"Welcome back to the Jubilife Network, and we have another aspiring trainer sitting with us today, by the name of Clary Stevens. Tell me, Clary, where are you from?"

I breathe deep. "I'm from Aria Village."

"Where exactly is that?" he asks.

"It's about an hour's walk outside of Twinleaf. I'm not surprised that you haven't heard of it. There are only five houses back home. We all work together to survive. It's a beautiful concept."

Obadiah nods. "It appears so. Do you have any family members?"

I nod yes. "Yes, my dad and my little brother."

"No mother?"

This is where the lies begin. Time to put Blue Brain's advice to use. "She died of cancer about four years ago."

His face falls. "Oh, my sympathies. On a brighter topic, what branch of training are you going to pursue?"

"I'm going to challenge the Gyms," I say, confidence I didn't know I had entering my voice. "To memorialize my mom. She did the same thing. And I know she's watching from Heaven, so I'm gonna make her proud."

Obadiah smiles. "Yes, I know you will. Is there anything about you that no one would know?"

"I'm a vegetarian," I offer with a shrug. "All life is precious."

He nods. "An excellent point. Would you like to say anything to the world?"

I nod. "Yes, I would. Dad, I love you. I'll come back and visit soon. Little Brother, I miss you, buddy. I'm always with you in your heart. And I'd like to thank everyone here for his or her services and work. You've made this a memory I won't ever forget. Thank you, that is all."

"You heard it here first, folks. This is Obadiah Kenzelman, signing off."

The cameras lose their lights, and I bow once in the fashion of the cities, and I'm off to find Blue Brain.

He looks at me funny.

"What?"

"Interesting, never thought I'd see a vegetarian eating Pokémon crackers."

* * *

**_(A/N): Just a heads up, I don't own the famous quote that appears in Clary's thoughts towards the end of the chapter. But I do own a cruddy marching clarinet. _**

**_Hope you enjoyed! ~Phee_**


	7. Chapter Six: Brawl

_**(A/N): Hello, everyone! I'm back after a rainy (what the heck!) day at band camp, which led to me faceplanting into a concrete sidewalk! I'm ok, though! ^^ Special thanks to all the reviewers and VOTERS! I'm giving you until the next chapter update to vote, so if you want your voice heard, pick now!**_

_**Akeyaranu: I LOVE the Hunger Games! That was an inspiration for the last chapter. I still haven't seen the movie, though I've read all the books...**_

_**Pure Gamer: I can't take very much 'sappy' interaction. I love sarcasm, therefore it appears a lot in my real life and my writing. I also hang out with a group of highly sarcastic people, so it kind of becomes second nature after a while...**_

_**japaneserockergirl: The quote was "Any girl can look glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid." ~Hedy Lamarr. The reason I like this quote was that a few years back, my friends tried to change me into something I'm not, and I looked at this and laughed. It's true, when you think about it. **_

_**Alphinia: Yes, HG rocks! Thanks for voting in the poll! **_

_**On with Chapter Seven/Six! ~Phee**_

* * *

I have to admit, I laughed at Blue Brain's Pokémon crackers comment. The smile he cracked after I finished laughing made me blush. I made sure I had my bag and my Pokéballs, and Blue Brain escorted me out of the production room and into what I learned was called an elevator. He pressed a button on the inside and the doors closed, sending us down towards the bottom floor, where the exit was. I gazed out the glass window and watched the people on the bottom floor come shooting up like sprouting trees. It's truly magnificent.

I hear a 'ding' resound through the enclosed space, and the door opens to reveal a slightly less crowded production building. Aiden is asleep on a couch, his mouth open and nose twitching. Blue Brain pokes Aiden's forehead to wake him up, and Aiden jumps up with a funny little noise. I laugh behind a hand, and Blue Brain shoots me a look. The three of us walk out the door to find a gang of teenagers standing a little offside, some of them smoking cigarettes. Aiden and Blue Brain stand alongside me like sentries as we exit, not making eye contact.

I notice a strange symbol on one of the boys' jackets. It appears to be an 'A' emblazoned on top of a blue flame on a field of black. A single yellow line streaks diagonally down the side of the emblem.

I've seen that before. I don't know how. But I've seen it before.

* * *

One of the hooded people sees me looking back and motions to the person in the center of the pack. Aiden sees it as well, and pulls me forward.

It's too late. The damage has been done.

The hooded people gather into a line, and one in particular seems to stand out. He removes his hood, and I'm staring into a carbon copy of Blue Brain's face.

It's all I can do not to scream.

"Long time no see, brother dear," announces the leader of the pack. Catcalls and jeers come from his accomplices.

"Jeremy," replies Blue Brain. "I take it you've been well?"

His brother shrugs. "You think, Joshua? You think? I've taken over this pack of hyenas and turned them into first-rate hunters!"

Josh shrugs. "At least a thought actually appeared in my head. Not too sure about yours."

Jeremy cocks his head and notices me. "Ah, I see you've found a new toy to play with."

The edges of my vision are tinted blue for the second time today, and I can see a violently red haze rising off of Blue Brain's chest. I know this is connected to capturing Garnete in the past week, but I wish I knew how this was possible.

I'm brought back to the present by Jeremy slowly sliding his eyes up and down my form, and I can't stop the heat from rushing to my cheeks. The five in front of us release their Pokéballs in a fluent, synchronized manner, and a Buizel, two Ponyta, a Budew, and an Ivysaur appear five feet in front of their trainers.

It's too syncronized for them not to have practiced it.

_Rich kids, _I find myself thinking. Arceus, I'm turning into Blue Brain.

I size up the situation. Ponyta are fire types. The grass type can be taken care of by Peck. It's a dead giveaway who I should choose.

"Go, Kaia!" I yell, and she comes out of her Pokéball, turns around, and gives me a look to end all looks. She turns back around, clenching her flippers together.

Aiden has a hand to his head. He runs a finger along his belt and unclips a Pokéball. "All right, Magmar, come on out!"

Josh follows suit. "Luxio, let's show them what you're made of!"

Their Poke'mon appear in front of them, and I can feel the adrenaline shoot through my veins.

* * *

I keep an eye on the Budew. From its size, I can tell that it was just recently captured, and therefore can be taken down with a few Pecks.

"Kaia, use Peck, full power!"

She takes a running start and jumps high into the air. Kaia starts spinning on the way down, using gravity to her advantage as her beak slams into the tiny grass type. I know I'm doing something right when I see grey battle marks appear. I watch Magmar torch the Ivysaur with a well-timed Flamethrower, and grin as Luxio electrocutes the Buizel, and it falls over, knocked out. The gang member pulls back as he returns his Pokémon.

These gang members fight dirty. I find myself dodging as many attacks as Kaia does. I wince as the edge of a flamethrower grazes my left arm. I just put a hand to it and keep going.

I see the trend continue as Magmar finishes the Ivysaur and Kaia lands triumphantly over the unconsious Budew. Soon, it's just the Ponyta and the three of us. The other gang members, who are twins, command their fire horses with the utmost control and ease. These guys are pros. I watch the Ponyta Quick-Attack their way around, dodging all the attacks that Josh and Aiden throw their way.

I get an idea. It's risky, but I think it might work. "Kaia, use Bubble Beam and spin! Make it fast and furious!"

She nods her approval and spins on the tips of her flippers, letting loose a stream of bubbles that blur and move incredibly fast for such a low powered attack. It stuns the horses, and that gives Aiden and Blue Brain's Pokémon time to attack. They catch on to my plan and fight, taking the final two down. The problem with my plan is that it leaves Kaia disoriented and vulnerable, so I return her and reattatch the Pokéball to my belt to make sure she won't be harmed any more than she already has been. She took a few hits from that Budew- nothing major, just a few tackles- but I am taking no chances.

"Well," replies Jeremy, obviously surprised at my ingenuity and our power. "That is most unexpected. I'll be watching you, brother. Avalon out!"

The five gang members retreat into the shadows, and Blue Brain takes my hand and leads me back to the makeshift Pokémon center on the outskirts of town. Before we separate to go back to our rooms, I heal Kaia and Garnete and turn to face Blue Brain.

"I never thanked you," I say quietly. "For guiding me through this. I would've been seriously injured or dead if it wasn't for you. Thanks, Josh."

He tilts his head. "You used my real name, Fireball.. I mean Clary."

I smile. "Do you want me to keep calling you Blue Brain?"

He shrugs. "Whatever floats your boat."

I can't keep the heat from rushing to my cheeks, and I head back to my room. I call Garnete and Kaia out, and they eye me curiously.

"It's been a week since I met you both, and I think we need to talk. Things just got a lot more real and put into perspective. We've dealt with our first gang. We've seen just how corrupt this governement is, considering that they've ignored a violent gang in their second most populated city for who knows how long. We've met some people who have been dealing with this for a lot longer than we have. But we can't give up just because it has gotten harder. We can't listen to the people who say that we can't do this because we don't know what we're up against.

"We know exactly what we're doing. We're fighting not only to make our lives better, but to dethrone this Council and give them a wake up call. We're here to make a statement. A big one. But we need more team members before we can even think about taking on our first Gym in Oreborugh. We'll add to the team on the way there- what do you guys say about a grass or fire type?"

Garnete, who has been unusually silent up to this point, looks at Kaia and shrugs.

_Miss Clary, Kaia and I are perfectly content with whatever actions you choose to take as long as you can add to our growing family. We wish to express our gratitude. In response, Miss Clary, I would like to explain why you've been seeing with your vision tinted blue in highly tense moments today. It is my responsibility as your Protector._

"Well, alright then, shoot. Arceus, is something wrong with me?"

_Nay, Miss Clary, the answer is the contrary. You are especially unique in the fact that you can sense changes in other peoples' auras as well as just their general existance. The crimson mist you observed around Joshua's heart this evening is solid evidence of your heightened abilities. There are many uses to these abilities, which I will explain in greater detail when you are ready for them. For now, Miss Clary, you need to educate yourself on how to gain a firmer control on how to activate your Aura Sight. Most of the time, it is switched 'on', as you would say, by extreme emotions._

"Like when Jeremy looked me over like I was just a body to be used?" I shudder at the sight of his eyes- so different, yet so alike to Josh's- moving up and down, lingering in places they shouldn't.

_ Precisely. Control over emotions is a key part to mastering these skills. What use is a group of practiced abilities if you cannot restrain yourself enough to use them correctly? So, therefore, we begin meditation. Concentrate on leaving your mind clear of anything that could distract you. Begin now_.

I follow her lead and sit cross-legged on the floor. She closes her eyes, and when she opens them again, they are not their usual garnet, the color I nicknamed her for, but a clear, azure blue. The light fades. I decide to try it.

Clear thoughts. Nothing about the hardships you've seen, the things you've felt, the things you've seen.

It's harder than I expected.

Garnete smiles, something that betrays her normaly serious personality. _Yes, it takes much practice. Do not despair. It will come easily over time. Please place trust in me when I say that. _

I nod once, and flop down onto my bed. My second battle has come and gone. Kaia looks stronger, and Garnete seems to be in extremely good shape, given the condition I found her in.

I lean my head back, and let my thoughts swirl. Blue Brain. He's been keeping secrets. It's not surprising, seeing that I kept the way I left Aria Village from him.

That settles it. I'm coming clean tomorrow. I hope he does the same thing.

I need to start suspecting every shadow, or things will not turn out well.

At all.


	8. Chapter Seven: Truth

**_(A/N): Hello, everyone! Welcome to Chapter Seven/Eight! The moment you've all been waiting for has arrived! The winner of the poll is..._**

**_Torkoal! Thanks to everyone who voted! School starts on Monday for me, so updates will come sparingly (sadly) until I catch a break from homework and after school band rehearsal. _**

**_japaneserockergirl: Ehh, Garnete will be explained soon, promise! When I have the time, I'll go back and edit the last chapter and put more of the mood back into it. I was kinda in a rush to get the last one done and updated. Thanks for reviewing! _**

**_Read, review, and enjoy! ~Phee_**

* * *

I wake a bit earlier than I usually do. I check my watch and see that it's not even six o'clock yet. After getting- not falling- out of bed, I change out of my PJs and find what I've been looking for in my backpack.

A small picture appears from the depths of the large pocket, and soon I'm staring at the faces of my dad, my mom, and baby Charlie. This was before she was murdered. We all know who did it, but we can't say anything to the government about her case. Since a government special operation team took her down, they're not the people we can complain to. No closure will ever come.

There's still a gaping hole in my heart, even after all this time. I don't know how to close it.

I close the door to my room after releasing Kaia from her Pokéball, and we wander down the small hallway. I need to have a little chat with Josh. How did his brother become affiliated with the same gang that killed my mother and nearly did the same to my father?

Dad. I need to call him, to check in. It's been over a week. He must be worried.

I find a door that has a blue 'J' painted on it in a block font, and knock twice. He opens the door, obviously expecting me. I try to ignore the fact that he's shirtless, and has six pack abs...

He sighs. "I knew you were coming, Fireball. Hang on a sec, let me find a shirt and I'll be right out." He walks over to a drawer, pulls out a faded grey t-shirt, pulls it over his head, and meets me in the hall after he closes his door.

"All right, what?" he asks.

"How did your brother manage to join the same group that murdered my mother?" I ask.

His mouth drops. "_What?_"

I shrug, fighting to keep my voice even. "Avalon is a special operations team funded by the Council, from the information that I know. She was a threat to them, so when she went for her morning walk..." I trail off, tears brimming in my eyes. I take a shaky breath, and continue. "Dad went after her when he heard guns. He managed to fight his way out, but couldn't save her. He was hit with an electric attack to the spine, effectively paralyzing him from the waist down. So tell me, how did this happen?"

Blue Brain shakes his head. "No. This can't be happening."

I put a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to tell me. I can find answers elsewhere."

He puts a hand on top of mine, and clears his throat. "You should know. Jeremy... he's my older brother. You know that. My parents are incredibly high up in the money and fame society here in Jubilife. They expected me, as the younger brother, to be exactly like my perfect sibling, to get _perfect_ grades and be a _perfect_ trainer." He pauses.

"I went to the wrong place to get my starter," he says. "They wanted me to go to a resort town near Sandgem, called Faunia. I accidentally went through Sandgem. I had never seen people that poor before, and I think they turned away from me because I was rich. I was different. I managed to find my way to the lab, and Professor Rowan looked shocked when I told him my full name. He gave me my starter anyways, and told me not to mention that I went to the wrong town. So, I went back home. Mum wanted me to show her my starter, and I obliged. She saw my Turtwig, and nearly fainted. Pa got involved, and he accused me of catching a commoner's Pokémon for my starter."

I tilt my head. "Turtwig as a species are incredibly rare," I reply. "Why the commotion?"

He shakes his head, navy hair flying. "Oh, no. I'm just getting started. Rich kids get different starters. They get to choose from a Gible, an Eevee, or a Bagon. I had always heard stories of how the poor were second class, people to be ignored. Professor Rowan, before I left, told me that 'I shouldn't trust everyone in this world. People will lie and take advantage of new trainers, seeing that their hearts are as malleable as cardboard.' I was determined not to be weak enough that people could bend me. My parents wanted me to give Turtwig back, to go back to Faunia and get a 'proper starter'. I had formed a real bond with Turtwig at that point, and we were closer than I had ever been to my family."

"And?" I ask. This story is so out of the normal that it doesn't seem real, but I know it is. I can see the pain in his eyes as he relates the story.

"And I fought back. I told them no. I was supposed to be perfect, to never second guess my parent's decisions and choices. They stopped speaking to me.

"I stayed with them for the better of four months, training Turtwig, who was precariously close to evolving. Then Jeremy came home and announced that he had a job with a government agency. My parents showered him with gifts and congratulations. What my parents didn't know was that I didn't stay locked up in my room all day. I found a way to sneak out the back, slide down a net of ivy, and go down into the Underground. That's where I first met Aiden. He had a confidence that I never knew existed. Because of my family's attitude about Turtwig, I never felt good enough about myself to start my journey. We started training together, and one day he showed me his family's home. Fireball, that family is dirt poor. They barely made enough to afford food, but they were _happy_. Something that I had never known within the hierarchy of my own family.

"A week later, my Pa caught me sneaking back from another training session with Aiden in the Underground. I had Tur.. excuse me, Grotle, out of his Pokéball, and he exploded. Said that he couldn't believe that I had gone against his word and kept the shame that was in front of me. I then realized that he was trying to bend my heart, just like Professor Rowan predicted would happen. I stood up straighter and countered. I told him that this family was my shame. They never gave me a single complement, always told me that Jeremy did everything so much better, why couldn't I be like him?"

He chuckled harshly. "They disowned me. I grabbed what I could and got out before Dad called in Jeremy to take me to jail. I should've been ashamed of what I said to my family, but in all honesty, I was glad. Professor Rowan taught me something that I never could've learned if I had stayed in the sheltered life that I had been leading. I learned that more than money and fame matters. It's about family, and my family is here, with Aiden and Alice."

* * *

I don't know what to say. Honestly, who would after a story like that?

"You wanted the truth, Clary. You have it now. I'm everything that my family didn't want me to be. Now that I told you my story, you have to give me a little bit of truth about yourself."

There's so much I could tell him. Honestly, I'm like an onion. There are too many layers within, and all of them make me want to cry.

"My village was firebombed by the government right as I left for Sandgem to get Kaia," I say before I can stop myself. All of a sudden, I remember something about the helicopters.

They had the Avalon symbol on them.

"They were Avalon helicopters, Blue Brain. They killed my mom, they think my dad is dead, and now they're out to get me. I don't know why."

Blue Brain pauses, evidently lost in thought. "Dang, Fireball, what have you gotten yourself wrapped up in? First a village being bombed, then your Riolu and that crazy flock of Murkrow, and now you're being hunted by my brother?"

I shrug. "Life is complicated."

"Like that wasn't obvious enough. Your family's ok?"

I nod. "There's a bomb shelter in the basement, which is really suspicious, now that I think about it. He knew this would happen. I need to talk to him, somehow. Maybe at a regulation Pokémon Center that's not in a government funded town."

He nods. "I have a preposition. You do the gym-badge earning, I do the advising. I know that you're a talented trainer, after what happened last night. Get Aiden to travel with us and we're golden." He snorts at the pun. "We can make a difference. They give you money after you win a badge. We can donate it to the poor. We can go in a different order than normal, to confuse the press, because there hasn't been a badge challenger for a very long time. What do you say?"

I pause. He knows a lot more about the world than I do, and Aiden makes most of the food here. Honestly? I'd be a lot better off."

"Deal, Blue Brain, but I'm still gonna tease you about everything. You know that, right?"

He shrugs. "Wouldn't expect anything less, Fireball."

We head off to breakfast, and Aiden seems happy about the plan. He says he'll have to check with his family first. He runs out the door and returns about thirty minutes later.

"They're cool with it," he replies. He looks at me. "We'll be leaving from the East Gate. It's less crowded, and it's closer to here. Less of a chance of running into you-know-who again." We finish up and say goodbye to Alice. She seems all right. We haven't talked much, but she gives me a firm handshake.

"See ya, Clary. Kick some butt for me. Oh, and give this letter to the nurse in Floaroma Town, if you get there."

I tuck the letter in a pocket of my backpack and nod.

And we leave the makeshift Pokémon Center. Aiden wasn't kidding when he said that the East Gate would be less crowded. There's one lady working there, and her hair is what appears to be its natural grey. She checks our IDs and we head out the gate.

* * *

It's nice to have dirt under my feet and trees around me again. I did like being in Jubilife, but I've been raised in nature. I'm more fit to stay here. Aiden pulls a map from his back pocket and examines it while I stare up at the sky, finding shapes in the clouds.

"We should be in Oreburgh by this time tomorrow," he announces, folding the map back up and stowing it in his backpack. We walk in silence for a little bit, and I hear a rustle in the bushes. I move in a little closer to find a small Torkoal, who looks back at me curiously.

"Hello, Torkoal," I say. He looks back at me curiously, smoke coming from his nostrils. He then looses a flamethrower and I jump to the side, rolling into a somersault and getting back up on my feet.

"Hey, Fireball, looks like you've met your match!" yells Blue Brain. I grit my teeth and call Kaia out of her Pokéball. She comes out and nods, happy with her opponent.

"Kaia, use Bubble Beam, and make it fast!" She leaps up and aims at the Torkoal's neck. Before she can land a hit, it goes into its shell. Withdraw. Hm. That was a good move. This would be a great addition to the team.

"Try a Bide!" I say. She nods, and white energy gathers around her form. She shrieks a little bit, and it explodes out of her, aimed at the hole in the protective shell. Her aim is dead-on, and the Torkoal pops back out, disoriented.

"Go, Bubble Beam one more time!" She lands a hit, and it's super effective. Grey battle marks appear on Torkoal's form, and I know I'm getting closer.

"Peck!" But the Torkoal responds with a Flamethrower, and it scorches Kaia. She gets up, though, and continues her attack. I remember something about an ability that Piplup as a species have, and I get an idea.

"Bubble Beam, full power!" Torrent kicks in as she lets loose a jet of bubbles, and the Torkoal doesn't even have a chance to move. He's weakened. I toss a Pokéball, and watch it shake once, twice...

* * *

_**Heh, I had to use "IT'S SUPER EFFECTIVE" once in this chapter. Couldn't resist. Sorry for the cliffhanger! See y'all around!**_

_**~Phee ^^**_


	9. Chapter Eight: Click

**_(A/N): Hello, everyone! I promise, I'm not dead! We won our first (American) football game of the season and I've survived the first week of school! To celebrate my three day weekend, I'm posting another chapter! Just a heads up, updates will come considerably slower now that I'm back in classes... so... yeah. :P_**

_**Akeyaranu: Yeah... breakdancing... seriously, that sentence made my day. And also, you were the 493rd view. I screamed like the extreme fangirl I am. **_

_**japaneserockergirl: No need to worry, more descriptive battles are heading your way! Clary's first gym battle is coming up real soon, so you'll get your wish in about two chapters! **_

_**Alphinia: Excellent, hope you enjoy the chapter!**_

_**Pure Gamer: I decided to capitalize on the lack of Abilities in FanFictions, and I really like how my version turned out. Thanks so much for your consistent reviews, they really brighten my already Sunny Day. (Sorry, I'm in a punny mood tonight). **_

_**TheCaramelSecrets: Thanks for reading! Hope you can recharge that computer of yours! ^^**_

_**AspiringAuthorVia: Yeah, it's been two weeks since the face plant, and the only thing I have to prove of it is a scab on my elbow. YAY FELLOW BAND GEEK! No way I'm quitting marching band (I understood the context of you saying that), I plan on majoring in music in college. I'm also working on editing a manuscript I've written, so if you'd like to read the first few chapters of that, PM me please!**_

_**On with the show! ~Phee**_

* * *

Three shakes, and the ball clicked once. I returned Kaia to her Pokéball, seeing that Torrent had activated and she was running on very little energy. I called out the newest member of my team, and the tiny Torkoal snorted grey smoke from his nose upon the sight of me.

"Hello, little one! Welcome to the team!"

"Tor-torkoal-tor!" He announced, eyes closing as he grinned.

"I'll call you... hmm... Pyrrhos! That's a fitting name for a fire-type. Now, return! Don't want you to get too tired- you put up a great fight despite the type advantage." Pyrrhos snorted once as he was transported back inside the ball, and I clipped the miniaturized version of his containment device onto my belt.

Aiden clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Great catch, Clary! Although it was a little foolhardy of you to catch a Fire-type before you set out to conquer a Rock-type gym..."

I smile. "Aiden, once you get to know me, you'll learn that there's _always_ a plan. I may have started my journey a tad late, but Dad taught me well. I know what I'm doing."

Blue Brain groaned. "'There's always a plan.' Those are the four most dangerous words in the world."

I roll my eyes, which makes Aiden laugh. "I guess 'I know what I'm doing' are the five most dangerous words in the world?" I counter.

Blue Brain smiles. "Now we're cooking."

We walk and chat in a similar fashion until the sun begins to go down, sending spots of light and shadow along the gravel path we walk together.

* * *

It's twilight now, and Blue Brain has just finished lighting the campfire for the night. I pull out the Pokémon food that Dad prepared for me and call out Kaia, Garnete, and Pyrrhos, and check their conditions as I pour out food for them. I add a few drops of Potion to Kaia and Pyrrhos' food so they can heal a little quicker. They chow down happily after Pyrrhos introduces himself. My team seems to get along quite well, and it makes me smile when I see them chatting in their own language about the world. I watch Garnete laugh, and know that Pyrrhos is the perfect addition.

Aiden passed around the bowls of what appeared to be some kind of vegetable soup, he turned towards me and stretched out on the ground.

"So, Clary... you know our stories, now you tell us yours."

"There's not much to tell, really," I reply quietly. "Dad was a semi-famous trainer when he was my age, and when he met Mom, the paparazzi went nuts over the fact that the two were dating. So Mom offered to show him around Aria Village and Dad kinda fell in love with it. He moved there and he and Mom got married about three years after they met. Then I came along, and things were great. But then Dad started getting really suspicious about everything. Every once in a while, he'd go down to the basement and say he was 'checking' things. Charle was born when I was nine. Mom was murdered when he was two months old."

"Do you remember anything about your mom's death?" asked Blue Brain, actually serious about me for once.

I nod. "I remember hearing a bang, and remembering that it sounded vaguely like a gunshot."

"Was it?" asks Aiden.

"Yeah, it was. Dad ran out to investigate, and I knew that something was seriously wrong when he told me to take Charlie down to the basement and not come out until we heard his secret knock. I hugged my baby brother close as Dad ran out, hands on his belt. After that... I heard lots of animalistic noises, and a crack that sounded like thunder..." I trail off. "Dad dragged himself back inside our house with his Arcanine and his Blastoise supporting him. He asked me to call 911, and I did. He stayed in the hospital for two weeks so he could get used to using a wheelchair. You have to understand that this was devastating for him... he was six foot five the day of the accident, and he had to get used to people looking down on him instead of looking up to see his eyes. It insulted his pride, I think.

"Anyways, life went on after that with a few adjustments. Mom's funeral left me in tears, and Dad had me move all of his things to the spare room on the first floor of our house, and he taught me everything I know about Pokémon. Mom had homeschooled me until she died, so I know things like math and the basics of a few languages and things like that. Dad was a little reluctant to let me go on my journey. Looking back on it, I can see why. The fact that I've caught one of the rarest Pokémon in the Sinnoh region as a rookie trainer confirms his actions. If this happened when I was ten, I would've been a lot worse off."

I look back towards Garnete, who is now looking up at the stars wistfully. I need to figure out what happened to her, and the reason why she ended up in my team, of all the people in Sinnoh. I guess I'll find out eventually.

"And you wouldn't have had two stunningly handsome and dashing young adolescents to assist you in your quest," replies Blue Brain in a ridiculous imitation of a city accent. I swallow my soup quickly and laugh along with the rest of my friends.

* * *

It's night now, and I lay on my back in my sleeping bag with my team around me. Everyone else is asleep. Pyrrhos is sitting on my feet like a Glameow, Kaia is leaning against my right side, and Garnete is pacing back and forth, stretching her legs.

"So... Garnete, what moves can you use? I'm working on a plan for the Oreburgh Gym, and I know that Fighting-types like you have a distinct advantage."

She nods. _Yes Miss Clary, your hypothesis is quite accurate. I would suggest not using me in your quest for badges unless it is absolutely necessary. This land we inhabit has eyes everywhere, and if the wrong inhabitant sees the two of us working together, then our situation could become quite precarious. For your information, I can use Force Palm, Counter, Endure, and Quick Attack. I can translate for our companions if you desire to know their move sets as well. _

"Thanks, Garnete, I really appreciate that. Hey, Pyrrhos, you're up now."

"Tor... koal koal torkoal kotor, torko!" Pyrrhos says softly.

_He would like you to know that he can use Withdraw, Flamethrower, Ember, and SmokeScreen. Kaia, what about you?_

"Pip... piplup pip pip!" she jabbers. She then lifts her head proudly and nods once. I laugh at her display of pride.

_Peck, Bide, BubbleBeam, and Growl, Miss Clary. I believe that you should be able to translate their speech soon for yourself. You have a very powerful aura. We must endeavor to find someone who can train you in it._

"I'd just like to survive the journey, first," I mutter. Pyrrhos hears me and snorts, smoke coming from his nostrils.

"It's late. We need sleep. Return, everyone," I whisper, and they enter their capsules. I attach them to my belt and stare up at the stars. I wonder if Charlie can see them tonight?

Garnete seemed quite serious about finding another like me. Who out there can explain what I can do and how easily I can read Pokémon and their respective emotions? It will be quite interesting to find out.

* * *

Blue Brain wakes me up the next morning by slamming two of Aiden's frying pans together. I scream louder than an Exploud and they cover their ears. I see several Starly fly out of nearby trees as a result.

"Arceus, you've got a pair of lungs," mutters Blue Brain.

"Good morning to you too," I reply as innocently as possible. We gather up breakfast and eat it along the way.

"So, information I need to know about Oreburgh?" I ask.

Aiden nods. "It's one of the poorer cities in Sinnoh, although not _nearly_ as bad as Snowpoint. At least it isn't freezing."

"True," answers Blue Brain. "It's also a principal exporter of coal, so prepare to get a little dusty. It's not very controlled by the Council, so you should be able to contact your father when we reach the Pokémon Center. It's a lot more normal than Jubilife and Hearthome. You'll like it here, I think."

To pass the time, I fiddle with my Pokédex to see what it can do. Apparently, I can input the name of a Pokémon before I scan it if I need information at that exact time. It also contains an address book, so I can write down videophone extension numbers. Quite nifty, if I do say so myself.

We reach a long tunnel, and Aiden and Blue Brain stop at the same time.

"What is this?" I ask.

"Welcome to the Oreburgh Gate," announces Aiden. "Once we pass through here, we'll have reached the city. Are you ready?"

I nod, red hair flying. Blue Brain shrugs.

We enter the gate, and I grin when I see what's inside of it.

* * *

There's a giant tunnel here, and torches light it every few feet, along with small mounds of rock. Trainers mill around the tunnel, some greeting each other and some giving shifty looks our way. A very young girl- six years old at the most- runs up to Aiden and hugs his legs, her dark green hair tied back in a braid.

"Aidie! You're back!" she announces happily.

"Nice to see you, Amelie! How are Grandma and Gramps?"

Her cerulean eyes light up. "They're great! They'll be happy to see you! Who are your friends?"

"This is Clary and Josh," he replies.

"Nice to meet you, Amelie!" I say with a smile.

She glances my way. "Aidie, is she your girlfriend?"

He turns bright red. "No, but I'd ask Josh that question if I were you."

"HEY!" he replies, yelling loud enough to attract attention from all around the tunnel, who turn and stare at the four of us. I stifle a giggle as our fellow trainers return to their business. Multiple Pokémon are out of their Pokéballs, and I spot an Abra, a Houndour, and the smallest Starly I've ever seen.

"No use protesting, Blue Brain," I reply. "It's already been said."

"Shut up, Fireball."

"Hey, watch it!" counters Aiden. "Little one present, remember?"

I grin. Amelie takes Aiden's hand as we walk through the tunnel. We reach daylight after a short while and many polite hellos, and I squint once we are free of the darkness and torches.

"Welcome," says Blue Brain, "To Oreburgh City."


	10. Chapter Nine: Dust

**_(A/N): Hello, everyone! I'm back... somewhat. My school had an early release day and I capitalized on the spare time and my lack of homework to bring you chapter ten/nine!_**

japaneserockergirl: Hey, I'm glad you enjoyed the humor!

**_Akeyaranu: Don't worry. I have a plan, and I'm glad that you got a laugh out of Torkoal's nickname. It's pure coincidence, I promise!_**

_**Pure Gamer: Thanks for favoriting! I really appreciate it.**_

AspiringAuthorVia: Wow, you left a lot of reviews. They're really helpful, and I appreciate every single one of them!

_**On with the show! ~Phee**_

* * *

Oreburgh City was... dusty... at first sight. Literally. Charcoal colored dust clung to the path, the buildings, and occasionally, the jump-suited miner returning home from a long day at work. I did have to agree with Blue Brain's statement- this place appeared to be a lot more normal than Jubilife, and I enjoyed that. Here, everything felt real. Not plastered on and fake. Aiden and Amalie led us to the Pokémon center, where we stashed our things.

After a quick goodbye to Amalie, we went back outside. "And now, a tour of the city!" announced Aiden. "This is the Pokémon center." He pointed to a building with a neon blue roof. "That's the Pokémart. That huge building on the hill is the Museum. They have a person there that specializes in fossils and assorted fossil Pokémon. It's also where you go to learn about the mining industry here, which can be quite fascinating if you're into that kind of stuff."

He turns towards the tallest building in town. "That's Town Hall. Old, but the architecture is stunning. And finally, the Gym is over there, between those two natural rock formations."

I follow his gaze, and see a soot-grey building with the Pokémon League logo on it. I grin immediately, and Aiden notices my excitement.

"You're not quite ready to take on Byron, I think. Some training will do you quite a bit of good. We'll give you a hand later," replies Blue Brain.

"I think you should keep an eye out for another Pokémon that would give you an advantage over Rock-types, because Pyrrhos can't really do all that much damage against a Geodude or something of the like," ponders Aiden.

I shrug. "Fine by me."

* * *

We decide to go visit the Museum, since it's almost time for dinner. There's no time for training today, so we'll begin early tomorrow. As we enter, a bell chimes twice, alerting a young man to our presence. He turns around, and I notice that he's wearing a jumpsuit similar to the miners', an orange hard hat, and glasses over his eyes.

"Welcome to the Oreburgh Mining Museum! You lucked out- every week we have free admission Tuesday, which happens to be today. I hope you enjoy our exhibits, and if you have any questions, please ask me! My dad runs the mines, so I know pretty much everything about everything here," he says with a shrug.

"Wait a second," replies Blue Brain, biting his lip. "Are you Roark?"

The young man nods. "Yeah, that's me."

I remember something long-forgotten. "Oh! You're the Gym Leader's son! It's so nice to meet you!"

I stick out a hand in friendly greeting, and sigh with relief when he shakes it instead of bowing like the Jubilife citizens.

"And you are?"

"Clary Stevens, and these are my friends Aiden and Josh." I refrain from calling Josh by his nickname as an introduction, and he seems to appreciate it.

"Come on, I'll guide you through the building." We follow the older boy through the hallways, examining all the exhibits as he narrates. I never knew how extensive of a procedure coal mining was, or how important it was to Sinnoh's economy.

"So, if the city for some reason had to shut down the mines, most of Sinnoh would lose power within the next day?"

He nods. "Yeah, that's about right. We'd only close if there was an explosion or if there was a gas leak. We keep Chatot down in the mines with us. They're trained to sing when there's a gas leak, so we can grab our Pokémon and get the Reverse World out of there."

Aiden walks up to a massive box, mouth wide open. "Arceus, how old is this fossil?"

Roark laughs. "Oh, that? Dad and I fished that one out of the mines about two years ago. We think it's the shell of a giant Omanyte or Omastar. We're getting a specialist from Kanto to come out and take a good look at it in about a month and a half. He seemed excited when I managed to get on the phone with him and schedule the meeting."

We finish our tour, and Roark offers to show us to the gate of the mine. I agree eagerly, and we follow him to the entry. A whistle sounds, and men and women start pouring out of the mines, looking smudged yet content. Roark finds a massive man and waves, and the man waves back.

Thirty seconds later, and I'm looking at the opposing side of my first gym challenge. Byron stands about six feet tall, and there's an intimidating aura coming off of him, as if he exudes confidence and brutality. I grin. This should be fun.

"Hey, Dad!" yells Roark.

"Roark! How are you?" Byron sees us. "Who are the kids?"

"This is Clary, Josh, and Aiden. I never asked, why are you here?"

I stand a little taller, maximizing my small frame. "I'm here to challenge my first gym."

Byron laughs. "Good for you, little miss! I'll look forward to the challenge. I'm normally at the gym in the mornings and the mines in the afternoon, so drop by any time from nine to one. Roark, we shouldn't keep your ma waiting. It was nice to meet you kids, and I'll see you soon."

We wave goodbye to our new friends, and head back to the center for dinner. We retreat to our rooms afterwards, and I call out Kaia, Pyrrhos, and Garnete, who I have a few questions for.

"Ok, everyone, we're in Oreburgh."

This simple statement is met with noises of excitement and triumph.

"We start training tomorrow. Byron won't be easy to beat, and if we went in the way we are now, we'd be squashed in two minutes flat."

Garnete nods. _I would agree with you, Miss Clary. I can sense that you have a few questions for me concerning my arrival on Route Two-oh-One, do you not?"_

I sigh. "Dang, you're good. Can't hide anything from you."

She smiles, unlike her usual serious demeanor. _You would be surprised by the things I have seen and the things I know. What are your inquiries?_

"Do you remember anything about how you ended up at the place that I found you?"

She puts a paw to her head and scratches, as if trying to remember. _I can remember bits and pieces of things. I can remember being in pain- lots of it. I can recall a great teal dragon with red wings, and a human with silver hair. They were attacking me for some reason. After the former event, things get a little hazy. I can recall running and falling over something. That is all. _

Garnete sighs_. I wish I could be of more help, Miss Clary, but I am afraid that is it. If anything comes back, I will notify you._

"Thanks, Garnete. I'll do my best to keep an eye out for anyone with silver hair and a dragon. Shouldn't be too hard to spot if she battles like we do."

The Emanation Pokémon shrugs.

The four of us chat late into the night, Garnete acting as a translator. Later, I check a clock and see that it's well past eleven. I climb into my rented bed, the sheets smelling like laundry soap and fresh air, and I feel Pyrrhos curl up at the end of my bed like a guard Arcanine. Garnete takes a post next to Pyrrhos, and Kaia takes the edge of my pillow and falls asleep instantly.

Kaia has the right idea, I decide. I'm asleep moments later.

* * *

_There is darkness. Lots of it. I don't exactly know where I am, and I turn frantically, attempting to get a grasp on my direction. Suddenly, a rainbow colored feather falls from the sky, and lands in my outstretched hand..._


	11. Chapter Ten: Surprises

_**(A/N): Hey look, I'm still alive! Sorry for the horrible lack of updating- real life kinda took over for a second.**_

_**I checked my stats today and saw that this story has been included in the "Pokemon's Best of the Best" community. I'm so honored to be included in such a great group- special thanks to the admins there.**_

_**Enjoy Chapter 11, and don't forget to review!**_

* * *

I wake up suddenly the next morning, the image of the rainbow feather still etched in my mind. I've never seen a Pokemon with that color plumage, so what does it mean?

My new family hasn't shifted all that much throughout the night, so I try to be careful as I sneak off to the bathroom to change and shower. I walk back out a few minutes later, my hair in a damp ponyta-tail, and notice that my team is stretching and getting ready to go.

"Morning everyone," I announce. I'm met with a few grumbles of assent.

"After breakfast, we really should start training. Let's head down to the main area and see if Josh and Aiden are up yet."

I return everyone except Kaia to their Pokeballs, and trudge down the stairs to find Josh reading a newspaper, and Aiden divvying up Pokemon food into a few separate bowls.

"Morning, Clary," Aiden announces. "We've already eaten, so take your time. I was thinking that we could ask Byron for a tour of the gym before you start training, so that way you have at least some idea of what's coming up."

I nod. "That's a great idea. Hey Josh, is there anything interesting in the paper?"

My blue-haired counterpart shrugs. "Not much, really. Just updates from Jubilife and Sunyshore."

I release my team, and they dive on top of the food like they haven't eaten in a year. Pyrrhos seems a little cautious around my human friends, but that seems to resolve itself when he finishes. Garnete finishes her food, and daintily wipes her mouth with the back of her paw. We clean up our area, and start walking out towards the gym. Something feels a little different in the air today- it carries a sense of foreboding disaster.

We're met halfway down the path by Roark, who seems distressed.

"Roark! Is everything all right?" asks Aiden.

The teen shakes his head nervously, and I can tell that something's really off. "Dad received a letter from the Council last night- they're asking him to open a Gym in Canalave within the week. He left this morning with barely even a goodbye."

"So that means..." Blue Brain ponders.

"You're the gym leader now?" I ask.

Roark nods. "I have no clue what to do! I've only been down through the mines a couple of times, and I'm not the greatest battler in the world, since I never really got the chance to study under my own father..."

I put a hand on his shoulder. "Your father wouldn't have left you the gym if he thought you couldn't handle it, right? There's nothing to worry about. I wasn't planning on taking the challenge today, anyways."

He sighs in relief. "Good. Even though you're not prepared yet, you should see the gym. Follow me, please."

I motion towards Aiden, and he walks a little closer to me.

"Roark seems to be handling this rather well," I comment in a whisper.

Aiden bites his lip. "This is rather unusual- I've never heard of a Leader being called away so quickly."

"Sorry to butt in, but I think we're just about at the gym," Josh interjects, pushing his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose.

"Party pooper," I say with a playful grin.

Blue Brain smiles a little. "Watch it, Fireball."

I look up to see a large building, embossed with a stylized Pokeball logo, looming in front of us.

"Welcome," announces Roark, holding the door for the three of us.

* * *

"Holy Arceus," I say as I enter. "This place is huge!"

Roark shrugs. "It's not that big, but it's home. Our battle will take place on the main field." He gestures towards a rocky battlefield towards the center.

"What are the side fields for?" I ask.

Aiden answers this time. "Those are for the gym trainees to practice new moves and train their Pokemon. Each Gym has a few trainees that study under the current gym leader to learn how to better train themselves and their team. It's a rather nice idea, actually. I've heard of several trainees going on to win Leagues in different regions."

Roark nods. "Well, that's about it. I'll look forward to your challenge, Clary." He walks off into the shadows, and I get the hint that we should leave.

The sunshine seems rather harsh compared to the news that we just received, and I manage to find the green zone that leads to the footpath back to Jubilife. I can hear wild Pokemon rustling in the bushes, so I stop and release my team.

"I have good news and bad news. Good news: We'll be training today. Bad news: We're not challenging Byron."

_What? _asks Garnete, clearly caught off guard.

"We'll be fighting Roark."

Kaia's eyes widen, and Pyrrhos spouts a huge amount of smoke from his shell in surprise.

"I have faith in you, though. I know that if we train hard enough and come up with a strategy, we can beat Roark and head off to Eterna for our next badge. But for now, we need to work on evasion and attack strength. Pyrrhos, I want you to work on dodging Kaia's BubbleBeam and Peck attacks. Garnete, I'll need your feedback on their movements. We'll trade off every thirty minutes. Does that sound like a plan?"

They nod, and start their training. Kaia takes the lead, and starts firing BubbleBeams left and right. Pyrrhos, though he is rather slow, can take hits quite well. He manages to dodge a few of the water-type attacks and land a SmokeScreen in the area where Kaia was standing.

_That was a good choice, _states Garnete. _Since Pyrrhos can't really keep up speedwise, he can compensate for speed through defenses and the lowering of accuracy. _

I nod. "Great job, Pyrhhos! Keep it up!"

I can sense that Kaia's pride is a little hurt because I didn't complement her, so she shifts to multiple Pecks through the slowly clearing smoke.

"Pyrrhos, use Ember! Seal the deal!"

I hear a high pitched screech from within the smoke, and know that he hit his mark.

"That's enough, now, come back, everyone."

Kaia waddles back through the smoke, beak held high. I have to try not to laugh when I see the burn mark squarely centered on her rump.

"Pyrrhos, that was excellent. Your speed will increase with time, so for now, we need to focus on using using Withdraw and SmokeScreen so you can take a few more hits and deal out a lot more damage. Kaia- you need to be a little more careful about letting your pride take you over during battle. You can't lose concentration like that during our battle with Roark, whenever that happens. I think I have a Burn Heal in my bag somewhere," I say, digging through my backpack. Blue Brain manages to find one first, and tosses it over in my direction. I catch it, and spray the medication on Kaia's rump. She waddles off, a little more comfortable, and rests underneath a tree.

"Hey, Garnete, I suppose that you're up next."

She nods and stands, stretching her arms out. Pyrrhos snorts, smoke coming from his nostrils.

_I am ready, Miss Clary, _Garnete calls, waving an arm.

"This stage will be a little different- I'll be commanding each of you, and leaving you two to do your own dodging. All right- Pyrrhos, use Flamethrower!"

A jet of fire streaks from his mouth, and Garnete is two feet over it before I have time to react.

"Garnete, Force Palm!"

She somersaults once in the air, and aims a palm, sparking with blue energy, towards my fire tortoise. Pyrrhos withdraws into his shell, leaving Garnete with no choice but to abort her attack and prepare for the next one.

"SmokeScreen!"

Once again, smoke fills the area. I can feel something tugging on the corners of my consciousness, and I close my eyes.

When I open them once again, I can watch the blue-outlined forms of Garnete and Pyrrhos duke it out in the center of the smoke cloud.

"Garnete, Quick Attack!"

She zips in a zig-zag pattern through the clearing, and lands an attack on Pyrrho's left leg. He roars, and shoots off an Ember. My Riolu is forced to hit the deck to avoid the smoldering mass that was originally headed in her direction. They're both losing steam, though- I can watch as Pyrrhos' movements become slower, and I watch Garnete's attacks get just the slightest bit sloppier as my vision returns to normal.

"All right, that's enough," I state. The two of them come out of the smoke- Garnete coughs a little, but gives me a thumbs-up as a sign that she's ok.

"Garnete, your skill set is very good- I think that a Quick Attack and Force Palm combination will work quite well for us as we head into our challenge."

She nods.

"Pyrrhos, just remember what I told you beforehand, and I think you'll be all right."

I turn over my shoulder, and find Aiden reading a book and Blue Brain watching me intently, his brows furrowed and forehead wrinkled.

"Hey Blue Brain, what's wrong?" I ask, jogging over to where he's sitting.

"I've never seen a rookie trainer do so well in their first training session," he responds. "How are you doing this?"

I shrug. "I watched my dad do things like this when he was still able to walk. He'd drill his Pokemon on speed, agility, and defense by having them go up against each other in duels. I figured that if it worked for him, it might work for me."

Aiden marks his spot in his book, and sets it down. "I'm with Josh- that was fantastic."

We're cut off by a sharp breeze, and lots of rustling in the bushes. Three Shinx step step out from the bushes, growling and extremely agitated, followed by a few ticked-off Starly. Finally, a small little Ralts steps through the bushes, which really catches me off guard. Ralts are supposed to be native to Hoenn, not Sinnoh...

"Well, I suppose that the commotion angered them!" I say, preparing for a fight. Josh and Aiden pull Pokeballs from their belt, and release Grotle and Luxio.

Never expected to be hit by a swarm this early in my journey.

* * *

_**(A/N): Thanks for reading, everyone! **_


	12. Chapter Eleven: Swarm

I quickly glance around, trying to draw on my surroundings for options. I watch as Aiden looks a little closer at one of the Pokémon, and his eyes widen in realization.

"Clary! One of Pyrrhos' Flamethrowers must have veered off into the surrounding colony," he whispers. "There are a few Starly with burn marks on their wings."

I nod. "Gotcha. We'll try to be more careful in our next session. In the meantime... what do we do? The only other swarm I've encountered had me running, not fighting."

I hear Blue Brain hold back a laugh and make a mental promise to give him a piece of my mind if we survive this thing.

Did I just say _if?_

"In my experience," Aiden murmurs, "we wait for the leader of the colony to make the first move. As the intruders, any attacking on our part would be seen as intrusive, giving them permission to beat the living daylights out of us. Try to be as quiet as possible."

_"Rodger that," _Garnete answers. _"If this does come to battle, I call the Ralts. He will be a worthy opponent."_

I nod. "Perfect. Pyrrhos- you'll focus on keeping those Shinx out of the way with Grotle so Luxio and Kaia can take down the Starly."

Blue Brain flashes me a slow thumbs-up to verify my strategy, and Aiden allows a curt nod.

A single Starly, his feathers shining and eyes glinting, seems to be the leader of this pack. Not only does he seem more powerful than the others, but he is larger in size, which means that he is one step closer to evolving into a Staravia. He seems to eye me curiously, then moving his gaze to Blue Brain and Aiden in turn. He lets out a shriek, and the swarm charges all at once.

Things seem to move both slowly and quickly as I call orders to my teammates, who obey them to the best of their abilities. At one point, I see Pyrrhos turn a complete circle on the back of his shell as he takes the brunt of a Gust. I watch Blue Brain and Aiden take down a few more, thinning out the pack considerably. My attention turns towards Garnete and the Ralts, who are currently duking it out towards the treeline. My fighting-type turns a somersault and a half in an attempt to dodge a Hidden Power. She manages not to land in a tree, and catches her breath before I call for her to launch a Force Palm and Quick Attack combination. I know that Ralts is a Psychic type, yes, but we'll do a little bit more damage with two combined attacks.

Garnete does an excellent job of charging her right palm with crackling blue-indigo aura as she dashes about in a random and inconsistent fashion. She lands a hit on the back of the Feeling Pokémon's neck, which I sense is one of its weak points. The little green-helmeted guy screeches in pain, which causes everyone in the area to cover their ears.

"Geez, that's one powerful Growl!" comments Aiden.

Blue Brain shrugs. "I've seen worse."

"Way to kill the effect!" I yell back as I switch my gaze towards Kaia, who is firing off multiple Pecks and BubbleBeams towards the remainders of the Starly flock. "Kaia, try to combine Peck and BubbleBeam! I know it's brash, but it's worth a shot!"

She chirps back a confirmation and starts aiming Pecks at her opponents. As I watch, blue spheres of water explode out from under every hit she lands, causing double the damage that an ordinary attack would have given out.

"Pyrrhos, use Flamethrower!"

Just like normal, a steady stream of orange-red fire shoots out from his mouth, nailing a Shinx in the torso, severely burning it. Grotle finishes the electric feline off with a well aimed Razor Leaf.

"Good job, Kaia and Pyrrhos, keep it up! Garnete, dodge that Confusion if you can!"

She grunts, and attempts to dodge the supereffective attack. A bit of the pinkish beam catches her leg, and she lands with a wince.

"You all right?"

_"Never better," _she responds. _"Any more battle ideas, Miss Clary?"_

I bite my lip, hoping for a miracle. A wild idea comes to me- not sure if it will work, but at this point, things have come down to all or nothing.

"Garnete! This is crazy, but take a hit from either a Starly or a Shinx!"

The look she gives me expresses severe disapproval, but she goes along with it anyways, taking a Tackle from a Shinx without being Paralyzed.

"Use Counter and Force Palm, back to back!"

Her crimson eyes light up as she realizes my plan, and she darts off, extending a leg in a hard roundhouse kick. The Ralts, taking a reprieve from the battle, is caught completely off guard by a flying Riolu foot in his flushed face and a flaring palm in his ivory chest a few seconds later. A resounding thud could be heard throughout the clearing as the little psychic hit the ground and struggled to get back up.

"If you want to catch it, now's your chance!" Aiden yelled, directing his Luxio towards the largest Starly. I saw Blue Brain, completely engrossed in the battle, order a devistating Giga Drain in the direction of the remaining three Shinx, who keeled over under the effects of the power draw. Grotle and Luxio took down the remaining members, leaving only the Starly leader and the nearly exhausted Ralts.

I tossed a standard Pokéball towards the struggling psychic, and he was turned into a blue energy field as he was drawn into the sphere. The Pokéball wobbled once.

...

Twice.

...

Three times.

...

Finally, a click could be heard, and I dodged a few Sparks to get to my new teammate. Garnete looked exhausted, but content.

_"Remind me not to doubt your ideas, Miss Clary. I was pondering your sanity when you asked me to take damage on purpose."_

I grin as I attach Ralts' Pokéball to my belt. "There's always a plan."

I turn around, getting the feeling that Pyrrhos is in trouble. He cries out as he takes a rather powerful Wing Attack to his exposed stomach.

"Kaia! Cover him with a BubbleBeam!"

Blue Brain shoves his glasses back up his nose as he calls for Grotle to use Razor Leaf, and Aiden nervously plays with Luxio's Pokéball as he calls a Thunderbolt.

The poor Starly can't take the force of a three way attack, and he falls, with swirls in his eyes as he hits the ground.

"Does anyone have an objection to my trying to catch this one?" Aiden asks.

Blue Brain and I shrug. "Go for it," my navy haired friend suggests. "I've got Tailow, and Fireball has her new Ralts."

Aiden tosses a Great Ball, and he gains a new team member three shakes later.

He frowns, his eyes narrowing. "I'm normally not one for nicknames, but I think I'll call him Aero. Fitting for a Flying type."

I smile. "I'll think of a nickname for Ralts soon. Things like that take time for me."

Blue Brain returns Grotle, which reminds me to tend to my team. Kaia and Garnete are mostly unharmed, except for a few scratches and blossoming bruises.

Pyrrhos, however, is a different story. He looks exhausted, and totters over in my direction. I quickly pull a Potion out of my backpack, and spray it on the places where his injuries are the worse- mainly his knees and his shell. After tending to his injuries the best the three of us could, I returned him to his home and decided to let him rest. Kaia and Garnete willingly returned back to their Pokéballs, and the three of us dashed back to the Center.

As we burst through the doors, we saw Roark, with a slight smile on his face.

"Hey Roark, what's up?" Aiden asked.

The bespectacled older teen grinned. "I beat my first challenger! Perhaps this won't be so frightening after all!"

I try to keep a calm expression on my face, but I think my eyes betray me. Blue Brain shoots me a reassuring glance, which calms me down somewhat.

"That's a huge achievement, congrats," Blue Brain answers. "We need to get to the healing machine, stat."

Roark frowns. "What happened?"

Aiden sighs. "Swarm."

"Again? That's the fourth one in three weeks!" the new gym leader exclaims. "What's causing them?"

"Fireball's ignorance," Blue Brain mutters under his breath. I sock him in the shoulder, playfully, and he glares at me.

"I was training, and an attack went off track," I explain shortly, and Roark nods.

"The other three swarms were completely unprovoked," the older boy ponders.

Aiden frowns, his forehead wrinkling. "Perhaps they were attacked elsewhere?"

Roark shrugs. "Doubt it. My studies indicate that wild Pokémon only attack if feeling threatened. So not attacking, but..."

"Being provoked?" I ask. "By who?"

The newest gym leader bites his lip, as if he's debating telling us what he's thinking.

The words he says next make my jaw drop to the floor.

"Avalon."


End file.
